Water flushing system



Oct. 30, 1962 w. A. RUPERT WATER FLUSHING SYSTEM Filed April 20, 1959 INVENTOR. lV/LL/AM 4. Rupmr BY m ATTORNEY United States This invention relates to a flushing system more particularly adapted for flushing toilet bowls.

An object of the present invention is to provide a flushing system adapted to operate over a Wide range of water supply pressure and particularly with abnormally low pressures that are troublesome in prior flushing systems.

Another object of the invention is to provide a water flushing system that is quiet in operation and is adapted to carry out a flushing cycle that is the same in the amount of water discharged for a wide range of water pressure in the feed line.

A further object of the invention is to provide such a system with means automatically providing or replenishing pressure that may have been lost for any reason, especially leaks in the system.

A still further object of the invention is to provide, in a system employing a water tank that shares flush feed with a pressure supply line, means to prevent water logging of the tank, thereby assuring retention in the tank of an air cushion that provides the force for discharging the tank water during a flushing operation.

The invention also has for its objects to provide such means that are positive in operation, convenient in use, easily installed in a working position and easily disconnected therefrom, economical of manufacture, relatively simple, and of general superiority and serviceability.

The invention also comprises novel details of construction and novel combinations and arrangements of parts, which will more fully appear in the course of the following description. However, the drawing merely shows and the following description merely describes, one embodiment of the present invention, which is given by way of illustration or example only.

In the drawing, like reference characters designate similar parts in the several views.

FIG. 1 is an elevational view, partly broken and partly in section, of a water flushing system according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged sectional view of means to prevent water logging of the present system.

FIG. 3 is a further enlarged sectional view of a timedelay operating switch used in the invention.

The present water flushing system comprises a tank 5, a source of water supply 6 connected to the lower end of the tank, a valve 7 controlling flow from the tank and also connected to the lower end thereof, a flow line 8 receiving the outlet of said valve and directing the same to a fixture such as a toilet bowl 9, time-delay means 10 for opening the valve 7, and means 1 1 to restore pressure to the upper end of the tank 5, thereby preventing the latter from water logging and impairing discharge thereof through the valve 7. The drawing shows the bowl 9 as provided with the usual drain plumbing 12 having a vent for said plumbing. The components of the present system are shown in their approximate operative positions with respect to wall or partition framing 13 and a support sill 14 therefor.

The tank is preferably elongated and is secured to one of the framing studs in vertical position. The size "atent thereof will be in accordance with the amount of flush water desired. About four gallon capacity is typical.

The water supply 6 usually comprises a pressure supply line, the water pressure therein being a variable according to locality. Ten to forty or more p.s.i. may be the pressure in said line 6.

The valve 7 is a solenoid-operated pilot-controlled valve that is normally closed and which, when open, discharges water from tank 5 and a proportional amount of water entering the tank from the supply line 6. Flow through valve 7 continues so long as the same is open and will pass only water from line 6 after the tank 5 has been emptied.

The flow line 3 may comprise conventional plumbing to conduct the discharge of valve 7 to the bowl 9.

The time-delay means 10 controls the solenoid 15 of the valve 7 to operate the pilot thereof and thus the position of a free poppet in the valve body. The structure of valve 7 may vary, but the same is held open so long as the solenoid is energized by the means 10.

As shown in FIG. 3, said means 10 comprises a selfclosing micro-switch 16 that receives electric current from a line 17 and, when closed, a line 18 conducts said current to a junction box :19 that is connected to the solenoid 15. Said micro-switch 16 is controlled by an operating lever 2t that is fulcrumed at 21 to a cylinder housing 22 in which is disposed a piston 23 that is biased in one direction by a spring 24. An adjustable air bleed means 25 controls recovery movement of the piston 23 after the same is pushed by a button 26 against the bias of said spring. A collar 27 on a stem 28 that connects said button 26 and the piston 23 controls lever 20 to hold switch 16 open until the button 2 6 is pressed at which time the lever is moved to allow said switch to close. The same remains closed until the piston is re-projected by spring 24 as permitted by the air bleed means 25.

Said means 25 may be adjusted to bleed faster when the pressure in supply line 6 is high and slower when said pressure is low and at a proportionate speed for pressures inbetween. For the pressures above mentioned the time delay of the means 10 may be set between ten and fourteen or fifteen seconds to allow flow in line 8 for proper flushing of the bowl 9.

The means 11 that counteracts water logging of the tank 5 is shown as an air line or pipe 29 that extends downwardly from the top of said tank, an air-bleeding check valve 30 connected to the lower end of said pipe, a discharge tube or pipe 31 extending from the valve 30 a siphon breaker 32 connected to the lower end of the pipe 31, a tube or pipe 33 extending from the lower end of the siphon breaker, and a second check valve 34 on the end of said pipe 33 and connected to the elbow fitting 35 of the line 8.

The valve 30 closes gravitationally and opens only to atmospheric pressure in the pipe 31, the same entering orifices 36 in the siphon breaker 32. The valve 34 is normally open and closed under pressure of water flowing in fitting 35 during a flushing operation.

Operation The tank 5 fills with water from supply line 6 under pressure of said line, said water trapping a cushion of air 37 in the upper end of said tank, thus keeping the level 38 of said water below the connection of pipe 29. Since the valve 7 is closed, the system is static: It will be noted that the pressure of air cushion 3'7 acts, through the pipe 29, to close the check valve 3'0 against the atmos pheric pressure in the pipe 31.

If, for any reason, the tank 37 should lose its cushion of air 37 and the level 38 should, therefore, rise to the top of the tank, atmospheric pressure in pipe 31 will open valve 30 and be conducted by pipe 29 into the top of the tank, thereby restoring at least a pressure of one atmosphere on the water in the tank. Thus, at all times, there is pressure on said water to insure efiicient discharge of the tank when valve 7 is opened.

Since the supply 6 is under pressure, any lack of pressure on the tank water will so Water log the tank as to prevent the same from discharging. Rather, only water from the supply 6 will flow to valve 7 under such a condition and, if the pressure in said supply line 6 is low, the flow will be sluggish and not of a desired quantity.

Upon pressing of button 26 to close switch 16 and thus open the valve 7, a flow through said valve will be instituted that is proportional to the pressures in line 6 and in the tank. The greater the pressure in line 6 as compared to the pressure in the tank, the larger the proportion of water flow from said line as compared to the flow from the tank. Thus, assurance is had that even with low pressure in line 6, some four gallons of water in tank 5 is available to supplement the low flow from supply line 6.

This flush flow continues until switch 16' opens and allows the valve 7 to close. Since this valve is pilot-operated, the closing thereof is slow rather than sudden, allowing some time for the bowl 9 to fill before the flow shuts off.

Should the tank 5 overflow into pipe 29, any water in said pipe can discharge only through the siphon breaker 32 and past the open valve 34 into the outlet line 8. It will be seen that the orifices 36 of said siphon breaker have a two-fold purpose, to supply atmospheric pressure to the top of tank 5 and to prevent siphoning of flow in line 8 back to said tank where the same may possibly contaminate the water in line 6.

It will be clear that, if provisions are made for draining of any water discharge from valve 30, the same may comprise a terminus of pipe 29 and the siphon breaker 32 and check valve 34 may be omitted.

If the loss of cushion 37 is not complete but still large enough to produce a difierential of pressure between incoming atmosphere and the pressure of the residual cushion, it is to be considered that the cushion has become dissipated, because the valve 30 will open to replenish the cushion for proper and efiicient operation.

While the foregoing specification illustrates and describes what I now contemplate to be the best mode of carrying out my invention, the construction is, of course, subject to modification without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention. Therefore, I do not desire 50 to restrict the invention to the particular form of construction illustrated and described, but desire to cover all modifications that may fall within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described the invention, What is claimed and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. In combination, a water tank, a supply of water under pressure connected to the lower portion of the tank to supply water to the tank and create an air cushion trapped by said water in the upper end of the tank, a valve to control flow from the bottom of the tank and from the pressure supply proportional to the pressure of the air cushion, time-delay means to open said valve to such flow, a flow line for conducting said flow to an item to be flushed, an air line extending from the upper end of the tank to said flow line, and an air check in said air line closed by the pressure of said air cushion in the tank and opened by atmospheric pressure in the air line beyond the check valve to supply the latter pressure on the water in the tank should the air cushion become dissipated.

2. The combination according to claim 1 in Which the valve is located outside of and connected to the lower end of the water tank, and the time-delay means is connected to said valve outside of said tank.

3. In combination, a water tank, a supply of water under pressure connected to the lower portion of the tank to supply water to the tank and create an air cushion trapped by said water in the upper end of the tank, a valve to control flow from the bottom of the tank and from the pressure supply proportional to the pressure of the air cushion, time-day means to open said valve to such flow, a flow line for conducting said flow to an item to be flushed, an air line extending from the upper end of the tank to said flow line, an air check in said air line closed by the pressure of said air cushion in the tank and opened by atmospheric pressure in the air line beyond the check valve to supply the latter pressure on the water in the tank should the air cushion become dissipated, a pipe extending from said check to said flow line, and an orifice-provided siphon breaker in said latter pipe and passing atmospheric air to said check.

4. In combination, a water tank, a supply of water under pressure connected to the lower portion of the tank to supply water to the tank and create an air cushion trapped by said water in the upper end of the tank, a valve to control flow from the bottom of the tank and 7 from the pressure supply proportional to the pressure of the air cushion, time-delay means to open said valve to such flow, a flow line for conducting said How to an item to be flushed, an air line extending from the upper end of the tank to said flow line, an air check in said air line closed by the pressure of said air cushion in the tank and opened by atmospheric pressure in the air line beyond the check valve to supply the latter pressure on the water in the tank should the air cushion become dissipated, a pipe extending from said check to said fiow line, an orifice-provided siphon breaker in said latter pipe and passing atmospheric air to said check, and a normallyopen check valve in said latter pipe between the siphon breaker and the flow line and closing under pressure of the fiow in the latter line.

UNITED STATES PATENTS References (Iited in the file of this patent 932,716 Murray Aug. 31, 1909 1,305,145 Myer May 27, 1919 2,055,271 Vuagnat Sept. 22, 1936 2,957,181 Lamping Oct. 25, 1960 FOREIGN PATENTS 14,721 Great Britain Sept. 2, 1899 392,061 Great Britain May 11, 1933 604,083 France Jan. 16, 1926 

